A plurality of pixel formation portions are formed in a matrix form on a display unit of an active matrix-type liquid crystal display device. Each pixel formation portion is provided with a thin film transistor (hereinafter “TFT”) that operates as a switching element, and a pixel capacitance that is connected to a data signal line via the TFT. By turning on/off the TFT, a data signal for displaying an image is written in the pixel capacitance in the pixel formation portion as a data voltage. The data voltage is applied to a liquid crystal layer of the pixel formation portion, and changes the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules according to a voltage value of the data signal. The liquid crystal display device thereby displays an image on the display unit by controlling the light transmittance of the liquid crystal layer of each pixel formation portion.
In the case where such a liquid crystal display device is to be used in a portable electronic device or the like, the power consumption is desired to be more reduced than in the conventional case. Accordingly, there is proposed a method for driving a display device according to which a pause period (referred to also as “non-refresh period”) during which all the gate lines as scanning signal lines of the liquid crystal display device are placed in a non-scanning state and refresh is paused is provided after a scanning period (referred to also as “refresh period”) during which the gate lines are scanned and a display image is refreshed (for example, see Patent Document 1). For example, in the pause period, control signals and the like may be prevented from being provided to a gate driver as a scanning signal line drive circuit and/or a source driver as a data signal line drive circuit. This allows the operation of the gate driver and/or the source drive to be paused, and thus, the power consumption may be reduced. Driving that is performed by providing a pause period after a refresh period, such as the driving method disclosed in Patent Document 1, is called “pause driving”, for example. Additionally, the pause driving may also be referred to as “low-frequency driving” or “intermittent driving”. Such pause driving is suitable for still image display.